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A Preschool Day

Wow! Time flies when you are having fun! We have been in preschool for almost a month and things are finally settling down into a nice routine. We have quite a few new children (boys) in our M/W/F classes, so things are much louder and robust this year which has quickened the pace of the classroom from last years female dominant classes. I’m so glad that it finally feels like fall! I love driving to work in the brisk cold foggy weather and wearing sweaters and making pumpkin pie play dough and going on Fall walks to collect leaves! Things are good 🙂

I always wonder what other people’s preschools are like, so here is a run down on ours…

We have four classes with a max of 20 children/class with 2 teachers. 4 year old classes run monday/wednesday/friday for 2.5 hours (one class in the morning and one in the afternoon)

3 year old classes run tuesday/thursday for 2.25 hours (one class in the morning and one in the afternoon)

We are a play based preschool and truly and completely value the importance of play in the preschool years. All of our teaching happens through play and a lot of the time happens in the moment. We provide a balance of child directed and teacher directed activities that all revolve around play, discovery and fun.

Here’s a break down of our class structure:

Doors Open5 minutes (Hang up jackets, backpacks)Gathering Circle 5-7 minutes (morning song, calendar, weather, go over activities that are out and any housekeeping that needs to be done) Free Play 60 minutes (Children have free choice of activities and centres. Teachers move around interacting and teaching in the moment)Circle Time 20 minutes (Teaching through group games and activities, songs, stories, partner work, etc.)Snack Time 15 minutes (Children wash their hands and then eat snack together as a group. They bring their own snacks. This is a time for conversation, learning skills: zipping, opening packages, pouring water, time management)Story Circle 10 minutes (Children read books on their own and with the teachers.)Outside Play30 minutes (Children play outside rain or shine with a variety of equipment: Sandbox, balls, chalk, bubbles, plasma cars, playground equipment.)

It seems like a lot to do in under 2.5 hours but the day flows smoothly and provides lots of opportunity for play and discovery and relationship to build.